Not this Time
by Sciencekitties
Summary: The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. England wont stand for it, not if it is going to cause him pain. Voldemort's mass killings in the first Wizarding War lead to him coughing blood and having seizures. By posing as a Professor at Hogwarts, he is going to stop things from getting out of hand. Rated T for violence. FanCharacter involved.
1. Chapter 1

Being the personification of a country was a curse. To begin, you lived as long as your nation stood. If it fell, you did as well. There was only one case where this hasn't happened. Second, if people find out what you are, you could be taken advantage of and used to take over another nation, permanently damaging your relationship with them. To prevent this you have to live a life of secrecy. Lastly, the people of the country help make up the country. If they die, you feel it.

This was the worst part for the personification of England. Someone was always dying, so it was only natural that he would feel the familiar twinge of pain in his heart. He could easily ignore this. Mass murders however, took a heavy toll on him, especially when they involved magic.

The start of the First Wizarding War came as a shock. When it began, England was still recovering from World War Two, which had ended only twenty-five years before.

The first major attack resulted in regular fits of coughing that became worse with each death. The next major attack added blood to the coughing fits. It wasn't until four attacks later that the seizures started. During the seizures, he would feel the exact way each and every person was tortured. Voldemort would grow eerily quiet, only to strike again ten times worse a few months later.

All the while, England couldn't do anything but sit and watch, as he was no longer involved with the Ministry of Magic, or the magical world at all. He made a promise to a long and forgotten magic hating boss that he would not have anything to do with magic. This promise was kept on record, becoming a sort of law. It was made such a long time ago that the ministry had all but forgotten his existence.

Eventually, the Dark Lord fell and he was able to recover….slightly.

So fourteen years later, when England felt his return, he knew that he couldn't stand by and wait for things to boil over. Not if he didn't want to feel the pain again. This time he was going to fight back.

England sat in his study reading a certain article in the Daily Prophet.

The headlines read; 'Ministry of Magic's Dolores Umbridge to teach as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor this coming term at Hogwarts'

It was clear to him from reading the article that the Ministry was trying to interfere at the school. As to why, he wasn't entirely sure, but he was willing to bet that it had to do with Albus Dumbledore's claims that Voldemort had returned a month before. The Ministry was afraid and didn't want to admit that the terrifying wizard was back. They would rather the entire wizarding community was clueless and lived in whatever 'peace' they could while people started dying left and right.

Though England had to admit, it was a great idea. Interfere at Hogwarts by posing as a teacher. He blinked. It was a good idea. In fact, it was a brilliant idea.

That was it! That was what he could do!

A plan began to form in mind. It was perfect. He would apply for a job at Hogwarts, as there were still two empty staff positions. If he got the job, he would be able to stop the Ministry's influence at Hogwarts. He would bring an ally with him, and they could take the position of a student at the school. While he kept an eye on Umbritch or whatever her name was, they would keep an eye on Harry and keep him safe. There were still a few kinks, but it was a really great plan for having just come up with it on the spot.

That's when he hit a snag. He still had that 'law' that prevented him from interfering in the magical world. He was then reminded of the seizures and torture he felt when Voldemort killed others. He did NOT want to experience that any more than he had to.

"To hell with rule following. There are more important matters." England growled as he strode over to his desk. He pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill and began to write. A smile formed on his face.

"Besides, I could use a change of pace."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was just finishing up a meeting with Severus Snape when he received the owl. It was a rowdy bird, screeching loudly for their attention and hopping frantically across Dumbledore's desk, making a mess of his papers."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "It appears that the bird has a letter for you, Albus."

"Indeed it does."

"Perhaps you should read it before the thing knocks itself out."

Dumbledore untied the letter from the bird's leg. Wax with the coat of arms of the United Kingdom pressed in it was sealing the envelope shut. He looked at it in curiosity as he opened it. What would anyone in the British government want from him? His eyes began to scan the letter.

_Dear Headmaster Albus Dumbledore:_

_I have received word that you are in need of both a Muggle Studies and History of Magic professor. I would like to tell you that I want to apply for both of those positions, as it would be a shame to see such wonderful subjects have to go. Now before you reject me and toss this letter away, I had an idea for those classes. History of Magic and Muggle Studies should be combined, as the two are very close in topic. This would save you money and the effort of trying to find another teacher._

_If you would like to discuss any of this, I will be available at any time. Let me know the time and the date, and I will be there._

_Sincerely,_

_Arthur Kirkland_

Dumbledore finished reading and looked to Snape who interrupted the silence.

"Who is it from?" He asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Dumbledore handed him the letter. "A man from the British government by the name of 'Arthur Kirkland'. It appears that he wants to apply for a job."

As Snape read through the letter, his eyes narrowed.

"You shouldn't trust him. There are so many things off about this situation. For instance, why on Earth would a government official contact you? The muggle government isn't even involved with magic!"

The older man smiled. "Or so we think. I for one am rather curious as to why he would apply for a job if he already has one, and at such short notice."

"What is it that you plan on doing, Headmaster?"

"I am going to reply to this man. I am willing to give up some of my time to meet with him, and see what he has to say."


	2. Chapter 2

The moment he sent the letter to the headmaster of Hogwarts, England pulled out his address book and began to scroll through names, immediately encountering another problem. There were not many countries on his list that would be willing to help him, and there were even fewer who accepted magic to begin with. They would feel that it wasn't their problem if Voldemort returned. Most of them probably wouldn't even know who Voldemort was.

England sighed, continuing to read the many names. There was Egypt, but he had his own governmental problems even with magic. England wasn't sure that involving him was the best idea.

He remembered his older brothers, and instantly shot that idea down. The three of them hated his very existence, and would probably enjoy seeing him crumble. It was bad enough England was going to Scotland's school without telling him, but the man would never let him if he asked.

England then remembered the rest of the magic trio, Romania and Norway. Of course! Why didn't he think of them before? They would love to help him.

He flipped to Romania's number and dialed it into the phone. To his utter disappointment, it went straight to voicemail.

_-Hey, this is Romania! I am currently unavailable, so please leave a message after the beep! *BEEP*- _

England sighed in annoyance. He forgot that this man never bothered to turn on his phone, or even charge it for that matter. He probably had over a hundred unanswered messages.

"Hey, Romania, it's England. I could use your help with something important. If you're interested, call me."

He hung up, and deciding that he wasn't going to wait for Romania to respond, dialed Norway's number. It took a couple of rings for anyone to pick up, and when they did, England was greeted with a crash.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY! Hey, Britain, what's up man?" Denmark spoke loudly through the receiver, forcing England to have to hold the phone away from his ear.

"Hello, Denmark. Is Norway there?" He asked.

"Hang on...NORGE! THERE IS A CERTAIN BRIT WITH TERRIBLE COOKING WAITING ON THE PHONE FOR YOU!"

"Stop screaming Danmark. You'll wake the neighbors." Norway growled. "Hello England. What is it that you need? As you can see I am dealing with a certain problem at the moment." He didn't seem like he was in the best mood at the moment. England couldn't blame him - Denmark was almost as bad as America.

"You know how Voldemort has returned?" His voice fell into a low whisper.

"...Yes."

"Well…" He began to explain his situation and what he planned to do. All the while, Norway was silent on the other line, except for the occasional confirmation that he was still listening. When England finished, Norway sighed.

"I would love to, but my loyalty and priority is my country. I need to help keep them safe should Voldemort make his way over here. Sorry."

England's heart dropped. There wasn't anyone else that was willing to help - no one that he knew of.

"That's alright, I understand. Well, you have a nice night." He muttered dejectedly. He was about to end the call when Norway spoke up.

"...Wait. I know someone who might be willing to help. If I remember correctly, she speaks rather highly of you and your brothers' school. I'm sure she would love to visit that place. I could give you their number if you don't already have it." He spoke slowly, as if he wasn't sure he should be telling this information to England.

"Really? Who is it?"

Norway's voice grew even quieter than it was before. "Greenland."

The instant he said this, England heard a loud yell on the other line. From what he could tell, Denmark had yanked away the phone from Norway.

"NORGE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"I am only trying to help a friend."

"THAT WAS NOT HELPING!" Denmark screamed before directing his words to England. His voice was instantly murderous.

"Listen here, caterpillar eyes. You are not allowed to involve Greenland in this, not after that stunt you pulled in World War two. I don't care if you hang out or are friends, but you are not allowed to involve her in another war. If you have so much as mention Voldemort to her, I WILL CRUSH YOU."

The line went dead.

England sat in in shock for a moment. He completely forgot that Greenland had magic. She didn't have a great amount, as she mostly spent her time in more spiritual practices, but she had magic nonetheless. To find out that she had an interest in a magical school that wasn't even hers was even more shocking. He wondered if she really would be willing to help….

There was also Denmark's threat. Knowing him, he _would_ try to crush him. England was running out of options. He was going to have to take a risk.

* * *

Greenland sat in her office, watching the phone ring. It was England. She knew his number well. She was tempted to answer the noisy device, but there was one thing stopping her - Denmark.

Ten minutes before, she got a call from her older brother. He warned her that she should ignore any calls that she might get from the island nation in the next few days. That was all he said before he hung up, and it made her wonder if he and England had a falling out. This was rather likely, because although the two of them were usually on good terms, their views differed quite a bit. A few minutes after, Norway called and explained England's problem, and why Denmark didn't want her to answer England's calls. In her opinion, he was sometimes a bit overprotective.

As it was going to voicemail, Greenland got up to answer the phone. She was too nice to leave him to wait, and she was rather interested in his to-be offer.

"Haluu England. What can I do for you?" She spoke softly into the phone, not wanting to startle him.

"Ah- Greenland, Hello! H-how are you?" England spoke quickly, causing himself to stumble over his words. Greenland laughed at this. What was his hurry?

"I'm fine, and you? You're not worried that my brother will catch you talking to me, are you?"

"Good, good - wait, Denmark is that fast at making calls?" He was quiet for a moment, most likely rethinking his actions. He continued a minute later.

"Look, I need your help with something. As you may or may not have heard, Voldemort returned a month ago." His words were careful, and they came out in a slow manner. He must have been afraid of putting her in shock.

Greenland sighed. "Yeah. Word travels fast, even faster when magic is involved." She could hear her friend take a breath before he began speaking again.

"Well, I have this problem-"

"Norge already told me about what you plan on doing. Honestly I was worried that you weren't going to call."

"He told you?"

"Well, he didn't exactly give a speech, but I got most of the important details. To save us both time, I will just give you my answer now; When do we start?" She couldn't help but smirk. She was disobeying her big brother, and getting to visit a magical school all in one go. What could be more fun?


	3. Chapter 3

Noise. So much noise. America was the source of it - or at least the cause of it. He suggested another one of his half-brained schemes once again. Naturally, none of the other nations agreed with it (save for Japan) and all hell broke loose. England sighed, resting his head on the table. He already felt awful, and he had to deal with the amplified sound from the bickering nations as well? Could his life get any worse than it was at that moment? He knew of course, that it could always get worse, and he thanked God that it wasn't.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" An angry German voice could be heard above all the others.

"Must I take control every time a meeting is held? Mein Gott... America, I think that it has been made clear that no one here agrees with your idea." Germany said impatiently, cutting off any protests that Alfred began to make.

The younger German nation continued to talk for a while longer before handing the floor to Russia. The tall country began to talk politics and other things, and maybe even something about a space program? England wasn't really listening - he didn't have a chance to. For the moment Ivan began to speak, he was struck with a splitting pain in his chest.

He began to cough forcefully, attracting the attention of most in the room. He pushed his chair back from the table and continued to cough into his hand, as to hide any blood that may come up.

"Yo, Iggy, you alright man?" America asked from his end of the table.

"I-m Fi-ne. Get on with the meeting al-read-y." England growled between muffled coughs. Couldn't he learn to mind his own business?

"I'm not so sure about that, Britain. You-"

"I said I AM FINE, JAPAN!" He lashed out at the other island nation, removing his hand from his mouth in the process. All who could see him gasped at the sight before them. He must have been a mess.

"England…?" America trailed off, not sure what to say.

England stood slowly, ignoring any questions that were thrown at him. As he left the room he muttered, "I- am going to go wash up. Shouldn't take long..."

He found himself staring at the disheveled blonde man in the bathroom mirror. He made sure to remove every red splotch he could find, and yet somehow, he still felt...unclean...If that was any way to put it. The tired green orbs staring back at him held anger. Anger and a thirst for revenge. How dare that - that 'man' call himself a lord? He was a murderer. He was killing England's people, and not just England's either. Voldemort was killing whomever he could lay lay his hands on, and he hadn't even returned for a full two months yet.

England straightened with a scowl. He could not allow this to continue.

When he returned to the conference room, he found it in complete and utter chaos. Everyone was running around, yelling to each other about trying to catch something. Before he could comprehend what was going on, America screamed to him,

"It's headed your way, Britain! Get it before it escapes!"  
Seemingly out of nowhere, a large bird smacked into his face, knocking him over. He looked up to see an owl standing in front of him with an envelope tied to it's leg. He reached out and untied it. the back had nothing more on it than, 'To Mr. Arthur Kirkland'. Without thinking, he began to read it's contents.

_Dear Mr. Kirkland;_

_I am highly intrigued by your offer and would like to discuss it with you. If you could use the floo network and come to my office on August 30th, that would be most opportune. I look forward to meeting with you._

_Sincerely,_

_Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class_

England read through the letter once more, and then again for good measure.

"England, vat is the matter?" Germany asked curiously. "Is that bird yours?"

He nodded slowly, before standing rather abruptly, causing his blood to rush from his head. He called for the room to be quiet.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make!"

"Ohon~ Are you finally getting hitched, _Angleterre_?" France mocked from a few feet away.

"_Shut it, Frog._ You see, I may not be coming to many meetings, if any, within the next year. There is some important government business that Greenland and I have to take care of, so I will be away for awhile."

There was silence. England would never miss attending a meeting, if he could help it. So why would he suggest such a thing? As for Greenland…

"Greenland? But Denmark deals with all of her international affairs. I should know - he is the one who set us up as trading partners, aru." China pointed out the strangeness of this part of the his story.

France spoke up again, all humour gone from his voice.

"You 'ave an owl with you, along with a letter. I would know zat method of communication anywhere. Zis 'as something to do with both of your magical governments, does it not?"

England looked at him in surprise before his gaze turned cold. "Yes, as a matter of fact it does. And I advise that none of you go looking into it."

* * *

Greenland stood in front of England's house, pounding furiously on the door in the pouring rain. Where the hell was he? The last time they spoke, he told her to meet him on the 30th of August. Here she was..so where was he? She lifted the knocker once more and let it fall. Still no answer. Was he even home? She couldn't tell as he always parked his car in the garage.

"Dang it Arthur, leaving me out in the rain...I ought to leave him outside my house during a blizzard and see how he likes it. He couldn't have forgotten…" She grumbled, folding her arms.

She shuffled uncomfortably in place, wishing that she had more cover from the rain. The wind was blowing in such a way that the rain went right into the covered porch. Of all the days for there to be a storm..She was already feeling jumpy as it was. The moment she apparated inside the country, she could tell something was amiss. A growing tension hung in the air in every street corner and every shop. Despair filled houses in each town, floating through the doors and up and out chimneys.

Greenland was debating on whether or not to leave and come back later when there was a pop behind her. She could have sworn her heart skipped a beat at this sudden sound. She turned to look for the source of the sound and found herself looking at the very person she was waiting for.

"Greenland? What are you doing here?" England stared at her for a moment, taking in her wet figure. His expression changed from surprise to guilt as the realization dawned on his face. "Oh dear...So sorry. You weren't waiting for me long, were you? With the hectic activities at the meeting, I forgot you were coming." He waved a hand at the door, unlocking it, before ushering her inside.

Greenland was lead into the living room and placed on a couch in front of a now burning fireplace. Next thing she knew, she was holding a hot cup of tea. This didn't make her feel any better however, as the moment England finished tending to her, he was rushing about his home, muttering something under his breath. He was rather disheveled, his hair slightly more untidy than usual and his mouth and chin were stained with a shade of pink that stood out against his pale skin.

Greenland sighed, setting the teacup down as lightly as possible. "Hey, England-"

"Not now. Not now." He waved her off, continuing his rush about the house. "Where are they?"

Greenland shook her head. Once he got in his worry zone, no one could stop him. She sat down and waited. After a few minutes, England came and sat next to her, looking utterly exhausted. He was holding a small wooden box.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, Mallina, but I just received word that I am to be meeting with Dumbledore tonight, and I needed to find these before then-" He paused and pulled two necklaces out of the box. One appeared to be a round silver locket while the other was simply a golden chain. England handed her the locket, before slipping the chain over his head. His appearance changed from a 23 year old's to that of a man with at least 45 years.

Greenland blinked multiple times to assure herself that she wasn't dreaming. Was that really England?

"How-what…?"

England chuckled. "An aging spell is contained within the necklaces. Of course, yours will make you look like how you looked when you were mentally 15, not like how you might look if you were forty."

This made sense, as she would be taking the role of a student in order to help look after Harry Potter. What she didn't understand was why England needed to alter his appearance.

Greenland expressed her curiosity as she clasped the necklace around her neck. England raised an eyebrow.

"Very good question. You see, I will most likely arouse suspicion if I looked like a 23 year old. It would make more sense if I looked older, given my position in the government and knowledge of history."

Greenland nodded, understanding now. It would be strange for a 23 year old to have a high government position, muggle or not.

"Now I have a question for you. Why do you look like a boy? I mean, you looked rather boyish before, but now that's what most people will think." England gave her a confused look.

She shrugged. She wasn't worried about this, as it made it easier for her to trick people. "No clue. So, how are we going to see this Dumbledore?"

* * *

When a man and a young boy stepped through his fireplace, Dumbledore had to admit that he was surprised. He thought for a moment it was father and son, but that idea was ruled out almost right away. From their eye color and face shape to the way they presented themselves, they were almost nothing alike. While the man was obviously from somewhere in the U.K, the boy looked like he came from somewhere in Asia.

The blonde and slightly graying man stepped up to Dumbledore's desk and held his hand out. Dumbledore stood and shook it.

"Arthur Kirkland. It's a pleasure to meet you, Headmaster."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Kirkland. Who is this young man over here?" He looked over to the boy who smiled.

"I'm Nanoq, his godson. It's nice to meet you."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

At this, Arthur sighed. "I don't care too much when you do it, Mallina, but please save your tricks for another time."

The boy(?) pouted. "Aw. Arthur, you're no fun." He turned back to Dumbledore. "I'm Mallina Køhler, or Nanoq. Whichever you prefer. I'm Arthur's goddaughter."

This explained the rather feminine voice and the mixed accents of Danish and Greenlandic.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Nanoq." Dumbledore smiled, winking. This brightened her smile slightly. "Well then, why don't you both take a seat and we can begin?"

Kirkland and Mallina sat in front of his desk.

"Very good. Why don't you tell me about yourself, Mr. Kirkland? How are you with kids?"

The man before him nodded.

"Dealing with children and teenagers is part of my everyday life. Aside from having a godso-daughter, I have three older brothers and five younger brothers, not including my adopted brother Leon."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. Ten kids in a family, and all boys at that. It was worse than the Weasleys.

"That must be difficult."

Kirkland laughed. "You bet it is. All three of my older brothers seem to bear a certain hatred for me, while most of my younger brothers have such clashing ideals that they couldn't get along if the world was ending. But, I love them anyway, and without them I wouldn't be who I am today."

Dumbledore continued smiling. That was much like how he felt when it came to the relationship between him and his brother.

Somehow, the Headmaster was beginning to feel he could trust Arthur the more they spoke.

"Is there anything else before we move on?"

Kirkland's eyes widened as if he was remembering something.

"Once a month, I need to leave the school to take care of government business-Just for a day, of course." He paused, looking to Mallina, who was busy stroking and cooing to Fawkes.

"If it is at all possible, would it be alright if Mallina went to school here? She has had to stay with me while her father sorts of some complicated matters at home. She would normally attend Dumstrang, during the school year, however, I do not want her in a place I could not easily get to if there was an emergency."

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course. Now that we have everything settled, I am going to need you to take a test on how much you know about the subjects you will be teaching."

Arthur made no objections as he continued, "If you don't mind taking these papers to the back room and filling them out, that would be marvelous. Feel free to take your time." He handed a stack of papers to the man, who then left for the room in the back.

As she was coming back from petting Fawkes, Mallina cried out in mock agony, clearly not excited about the size of the paperwork. "Noo! Why did you tell him to take his time? Now he will take forever!"

And 'forever' was what he took. Dumbledore and Mallina didn't exchange many words while Arthur was away. When they did, their short conversations were focused mainly on the paintings of the different headmasters in his office (more specifically the one who looked like he had something shoved up his nose and was on the verge of sneezing.) When Arthur finally finished, approximately two hours had passed. Mallina, who was by now painfully bored, was looking once again at Fawkes, trying to see if he was going to burn any time soon.

Dumbledore stood and took the papers from Arthur, who appeared very pleased with himself.

"Thank you. I will owl the results to you within the next three days. Now why don't you both head home and get some shut eye. You are going to need it."

Arthur smiled and beckoned Mallina to follow him as he headed back for the fireplace. It was then Dumbledore remembered something he meant to ask much earlier but didn't find the right moment.

"One last thing."

The man turned, smiling. "Yes? What is it?"

"You understand that it is not only illegal but highly dangerous to partake in the Dark Arts?"

Arthur's smile faded. He stared back at the Headmaster in confusion at his sudden question.

"Of course."

"Very good. Then you understand that if you get the job and see anyone in the school using this area of magic, you are to tell me immediately? For the safety of the students?"

"I understand. I would be sure to let you know."

Dumbledore gave him a pitying look. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable, but with Voldemort's return, you can never be too careful."

"No, it's perfectly alright. Well, have a good night, Headmaster." Arthur took Mallina and left through the fire.

It was then that Dumbledore's expression became grim. When he asked Kirkland the question, the girl's eyes flashed over to her guardian with worry written in them. This could only mean two things; She was either confused by his question or she knew that Arthur does exactly what he said he didn't do, and was afraid that he was going to get caught. Whatever it was, he knew that he was going to have to speak with Severus.


	4. Chapter 4

Canada had never been more concerned about the island nation in over one hundred years. When England began coughing up blood in the middle of the world meeting, it was obvious that there was something wrong with him - you would have to be completely oblivious if you couldn't see that. What was worrying Canada was that nations never got sick unless their economy was doing poorly, or if large amounts of of their citizens were being killed in some way. As far as he knew, England's economy was doing fairly well, so for him to have an attack like that must have meant that a lot of his people were dying. The question was why.

Canada couldn't help but dwell on this on his plane home. Was it terrorists? No, he reasoned, England would have made sure to mention it at the meeting.

Perhaps his odd behavior after the owl got inside had something to do with it - he said that he would be missing meetings due to something he needed to take care of with his magical government. This made no sense to Canada, as he had cut off all contact with his magical government for his own safety. For him to suddenly re-enter the magical world...Something terrible was unfolding, and it looked like England was about to go in head first.

Scotland would know something about this. Even though he and England were hardly ever on the best terms, they would share something like this, wouldn't they?

The cold nation resolved that he would be calling England's brother the first chance he got.

* * *

Two days after meeting the headmaster of Hogwarts, Mallina found herself standing in front of a brick wall with Arthur, who was tapping the red stone with his wand. By now, she was accustomed to the odd things that could happen when involved with magic, so she wasn't surprised when the bricks rearranged themselves to reveal a bustling square packed with witches and wizards of every shape and size.

Back in Greenland, she never became very involved with her magical society, sticking instead to the more spiritual aspect of life. It wasn't that she didn't like magic, in fact, she loved magic. It just wasn't her greatest talent. At one point in her younger years, Norway asked her if she wanted to attend Dumstrang in order to become better at performing magic. Unfortunately, the experience wasn't the greatest, so she left halfway through her schooling. Her former peers were nice enough, the problem was that most of them got involved with the dark arts, and it made her uncomfortable. What they did greatly clashed with her beliefs at the time.

Speaking of the dark arts, Dumbledore's question the other night worried her. Mallina was sure that Arthur was going to get caught when he was asked. He didn't specifically use dark spells such as the Cruciatus Curse, but she was sure that rituals and demon summonings were still considered 'dark'. Of course, Arthur hadn't used Black magic in at least two hundred years, but it was no secret that it was a fascination and former hobby of his.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Arthur seemed to be proud of his magical community. This made her smile. Nowadays, there was little the island nation could be proud of. His magical government was messed up, his cooking was the equivalent of the Draught of Living Death and one of the darkest wizards of all time was born in his country. Those were just a few problems - Greenland could go on and on.

She grinned up at him. "Can we go look around?"

"Of course, my dear."

Arthur began to lead her to and from the different shops. On one end, there was an ice cream parlor, a robe shop, a bookstore and a variety of pet stores. The other side had a wandmaker, a broom shop and a potion supply store. The amazing thing was that these shops were not even half of Diagon Alley. At the end of the square there was a towering (and rather crooked) building. Greenland slowed at the sight. It was amazing.

"Is that-?"

Arthur nodded. "Gringotts, yes. The safest place you could ever be, at least in terms of hiding someone or something."

Greenland looked at the building with a longing expression. She heard many stories about the secrets that lay within the Pisa-like bank. It would be wonderful if she were able to take a peek.

"Are we going there?" She asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no. I already have the money that we will need for buying supplies." Arthur replied, frowning.

Greenland sighed, before remembering something else that looked interesting.

"What about over there?" She pointed to a darker end of the square that lead to a shady looking area. "What's over there?"

Arthur stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the place.

"Knockturn Alley. It is full of shady wizards and witches that wouldn't hesitate to harm you. Now come. We have shopping to do." He grabbed her shoulders and began to steer her in the opposite direction.

"Oh..ok…." Greenland complied, although she secretly agreed that she would be going there when she had the chance.

The first place they visited after that was Ollivander's. Greenland wasn't too keen on it, as she didn't see why she needed to buy a wand when she could perform wandless magic perfectly. Arthur then reminded her that normal 15 year olds could barely even perform silent spells.

So there they were, standing inside the seemingly empty wand shop. It had an air similar to that of a bookstore, with small, rectangular wand-filled boxes lining the shelves. The difference between it and a bookstore was that it could in no way be considered organized or orderly. The scents of different woods hung in the air, blending together and giving the shop a friendly atmosphere. It was welcoming. Greenland smiled as she looked around.

"Ah, hello. I don't recall selling either of you wands before. What can I do for you today?" An old man came from behind a shelf in the back. He had a mysterious air about him, but was as warm and welcoming as the shop.

Arthur stepped forward with a smile. He put a hand on Greenland's shoulder. "Mallina here needs a new wand. I'm sure that you can help her with that."

"Of course, of course. But why do you need a new wand, my dear?"

Greenland looked down, pretending to be embarrassed. In reality, she was trying to come up with an excuse.

"Well, uh, you see, I was climbing this tree, and uh.. and my wand fell out of my pocket. I didn't see it fall, so when I jumped out of the tree I - I landed on it and it snapped..." It wasn't the best lie ever, but Ollivander seemed to buy it (or maybe he just didn't care).

"That is unfortunate my dear. You know that it is rather hard to find a good wand after breaking your first. Not to worry, though. I'm sure I can find something that suits you."

The first wand Ollivander had her try was a beautifully crafted oak with a phoenix feather core with jade embedded in the handle. The aftermath of Greenland using the wand, however, was not as elegant. A sort of goo shot out of the tip, connecting itself with the back wall before setting itself alight.

The second wand was no better than the first, shattering the shop windows.

The third was not damaging to the shop, and instead temporarily turned her hair a hideous shade of orange. Arthur found great amusement in this, saying she should wear it like that more often.

Mallina must have gone through twenty wands, her face turning a darker shade of red each try, before Ollivander told her to stop.

"A challenging customer...very interesting…" Ollivander muttered as he moved down the shelves.

He made his way to the back of the store and hesitated. His eyes were locked on a simple, unassuming and frayed black box that was covered in a layer of dust. Ollivander took it after a moment and brought it back to Greenland.

"Now this wand, my father received from a Norwegian wizard quite some time ago. Never once have I been able to get it to work with anyone. I believe this may be because it's allegiance is already with someone else. But...it never hurts to try."

The old man opened the box as he said this. The wand was lightly colored, almost like dogwood or a type of birch. It was abnormally straight compared to the other wands Greenland tried, and the handle had carvings in it that oddly resembled snowflakes. The strangest thing was that she recognised it. This was the wand Norway gave her when she went to Dumstrang, which she promptly returned to him after she left. This was much to the scandinavian country's disappointment, as he had given it to her as a gift.

She picked it it up tentatively, an eerie silence filling the room as she did so. At first there was nothing, the two men watching her expectantly, then small white objects began to form and fall through the air. It was snowing. No one had a chance to applaud this, however, as the light falling of flakes turned harsh and blizzard like, a gale sweeping the room, knocking the contents of the many shelves to the floor. But the snow wasn't flying throughout the room at random. No- they were forming something.

Greenland blinked through the cold to see a great bear standing tall on its hind legs. It stared down at her, and her back at it. The wintery creature roared, rattling the store, before it collapsed into a flurry of ice particles.

* * *

Severus Snape watched the strange duo as they left Ollivander's. The boyish girl was smiling widely, explaining something to the man next to her with excited gestures. Kirkland chuckled, bemused by her excitement. Severus couldn't see why Dumbledore would have him follow the two, as they were acting the way a normal parent and child would. Then again, he wasn't the one meeting with the man the other day- Dumbledore was. Severus followed them down the street towards Madame Malkin's. As he did, he noticed Kirkland was beginning to fall behind the girl. She became aware of this at just about the same time and stopped.

With her head facing the cobblestone street in front of her, she said quietly, "Arthur, we can always come back later."

Arthur shook his head. "No, I'm fine - Just need to rest for a moment. Why don't you go on inside while I wait out here?"

The girl gave him a skeptical look. "Fine, but only to humour you. If you cough even once…"

"Mallina, I'm fine!" He snapped.

Mallina didn't flinch, but instead shook her head and jogged over to the robe shop which was now only two buildings away.

Snape moved closer to Kirkland's direction as he ducked into an alley. Pain was evident on his face as he leaned against the wall, with a hand over his heart.

* * *

England cursed. Once again, one of his citizens was dying (no thanks to that red eyed freak). He was dying so slowly and was in so much pain it would be mercy to kill them. England felt all of the poor man's pain at that moment, and found himself wishing him into the arms of death. When he did, the final pain hit the nation's heart with full force. He doubled over coughing, red spattering the pavement. Then the pain subsided.

"Kirkland?"

England looked up to see a man dressed in black robes walking to him. Judging from the minimal concern in the stranger's voice, they saw what happened. This made his fears rise. He didn't need anymore trouble right now.

"I'm sorry..who are you?" He asked wearily, standing tall.

"Severus Snape. Are...you alright?" The man asked cautiously.

England mentally groaned. Of all the people to see him, it was a soon-to-be co-worker. "Ah.. You teach at Hogwarts, don't you?" He asked. Snape nodded. "Then, if you would be kind enough as to not tell any of the staff- or Dumbledore about this, I would greatly appreciate it."

Snape crossed his arms, "Perhaps. What even is this?"

England wiped his mouth, looking at the blood now smeared on the back of his hand. What would he tell him? The truth of course. Or at least, a version of what was the truth.

"I'm sick. Not with an illness, or anything that can be cured...actually let's call it my punishment."

"Your punishment." Severus raised an eyebrow at this.

"We've all done things that we regret, haven't we, Severus? Well, some of us don't feel remorse or guilt until it's too late, and have to live with the consequences." With that, Arthur left to join Greenland inside Madame Malkin's.


End file.
